Writer, California attorney, stumbling through the courtrooms of Southern California
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Friday, January 22, 2016

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL - Jesse Andrews [Book recommendation]

Description: Greg, the
protagonist, and his friend Earl, high school seniors, like to make films. Another friend,
Rachel, has leukemia.

Plot: Greg's mother
“makes” him be friends with Rachel, a girl who has leukemia.
Greg and Earl make a film for Rachel. Despite the sad subject
matter, the book is actually a lighter read and funny.

Characterization: The
characters are well developed, had their own distinct personalities,
and sound exactly like high school students. Greg is a loner with
self-esteem issues. Earl is a “black kid from a troubled home”
but he is a good friend and likable. Rachel is not as developed as
the boys but the book really isn't about her, it's about Greg and to
some extent Earl.

Setting: A high school
in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. The descriptions were good, I was able
to picture every scene without it being over-described.

Other: I read the first
release of this book [the one with the cover above] and NOT the
revised/re-issued book. I have not seen the movie, this is a review
of the book only.

Overall: I'm not someone
who enjoys “tear-jerker” stories. I was pleasantly surprised by
this book. It's a good story, on the lighter side of the serious
subject matter. Funny. Made me laugh quite a few times. Greg, the
narrator, often speaks directly to the reader with lines like “this
book sucks” and “I don't know why I'm even writing this.” I
would read more by this author.

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About Me

I took and passed the California Bar Examination back in the dark ages when we chiseled our answers on stone tablets by candlelight while ducking dinosaur feet. My first "job" was as a contract appearance attorney, highlighted in my current work-in-progress [hopefully published one day] tentatively called Not a Mother. After several years, I ran face-first into my mid-life crisis and accepted a real job as a real attorney [read: not self-employed] with a mid-size firm. I was laid off after three years and found a new job with a small California-only firm. I practice law, heavy emphasis on the word practice, as a trial attorney in Southern California. I enjoy being a lawyer and so far I enjoy writing about it.